Raynham Park developer tries to allay residents' traffic fears

Raynham Park hosted the first of its two community meetings on Tuesday night, inviting the community to the former dog track’s clubhouse to discuss concerns about the proposed development of a 1,250 slot machine casino at the site. The meetings are being held three weeks before Raynham citizens will vote on a communi...

Neighbors of Raynham Park expressed their fears that slot machines at the facility would bring a flood of traffic, making the morning and evening commute that much more difficult.

Raynham Park hosted the first of its two community meetings on Tuesday night, inviting the community to the former dog track’s clubhouse to discuss concerns about the proposed development of a 1,250 slot machine casino at the site. The meetings are being held three weeks before Raynham citizens will vote on a community host agreement that would provide $1.1 million in annual impact mitigation to the town if Raynham Park is awarded the state’s sole slot license.

Anthony D. Ricci, chief executive officer of the partnering developer Greenwood Racing, stood with Raynham Park owner George Carney, to assure residents that the impact of the slot casino on the community would be minor. Ricci took questions, while also offering additional information about what he said will be a $220 million project.

“I am against it,” said Ana Derosier, of Hall Street, expressing her disapproval for a proposal that she believes would cause traffic problems for her and other neighbors. “Even adding 20 cars per hour is going to hinder my lifestyle. … I want to make sure that the traffic is done correctly so it’s not going to impact people here. We don’t want to become a cut through.”

Derosier said that adding more cars to Route 138 from Route 24 is going to make it more difficult for residents on nearby side streets who are trying to get going to work, especially at the intersection of Elm Street East and Route 138. Derosier said there is already a traffic buildup problem at the light next to the Hess gas station nearby, and that this would be exacerbated, causing motorists to cut through side streets like hers.

“(It) is going to cause these people to start going down Hall and Ann streets as a cut-through, which are narrow country side roads from residential areas with small children,” Derosier said.

One man spoke up about Wilbur Street, just south of Raynham Park off Route 138, explaining that traffic is bad already at the intersection, “with no breaks,” around 5 p.m.

Carney said that he would personally “guarantee” that any major traffic problems would be fixed. Carney joked that he didn’t want Derosier knocking on his door every morning, complaining about traffic issues.

Ricci developers certainly do not want to inconvenience residents or patrons with traffic problems, assuring guests at the meeting that, “You are not going to see a dramatic change in the traffic patterns.” Ricci said that he knows from the experience of having developed the Parx casino in Bensalem, Penn., which debuted as a slots casino in 2006, surrounded by more dense residential environment. He also said that “the good news” is that the facility would be a 24/7 operation, which spreads out the flow of customers.

Page 2 of 2 - “We know it’s important that traffic and safety are dealt with by us,” Ricci said. “You know traffic is important. We are going to make sure it flows freely.”

A traffic consultant from Nitsch Engineering explained that a traffic light was going to be installed in the center of the front of the facility, and that the lanes would be widened there.

Another Raynham resident stood up during the meeting, and criticized Carney’s dealings in the town, and complained about the excess pile of debris at the C. Carney Recycling business that continues to operate at the Rayham Park site. The man also added that Plainville’s $4.1 community host agreement would be better (however, representatives for Parx were quick to explain that the $4.1 million figure includes property taxes, which is not included in the $1.1 million annual sum offered by the Raynham Park proposal).

This led to a heated reply by Carney, in which he defended his business, claiming that he is keeping the recycling company open at the site to keep the workers there on a job. Carney went on to say he could have abandoned the town, leaving it without his tax revenue, but that he is a loyal businessman with roots in the community.

Also during the meeting, Ricci provided new details about the project, which he said would cost $220 million. The slot casino project would include a new 175,000-square-foot facility.

Ricci said the project would create 1,000 direct new jobs, and at least 800 ongoing jobs. However, previously, the town-hired B&S consulting firm said the slot casino would create 411 to 500 jobs.

Renderings of the slot casino on display at the meeting showed a main floor of the new building, with a bar in the middle, with slots set up in four different large gaming sections. There are also two other small gaming sections, and another for “hi limit” slots.

The plans for the new building also show a 156,000-square-foot section for special events, and a 5,400-square-foot restaurant.

Ricci said the first phase of the project would be adding 1,250 slot machines to the present clubhouse at Raynham Park over the course of five months. Ricci hinted that its possible the Raynham Parx casino, like the original Parx in Bensalem, could feature a Chickie’s and Pete’s restaurant. Ricci said he wants to “bring the best brands into” Raynham.

“This is a very exciting project,” Ricci said. “It represents opportunity for both the commonwealth and Raynham. We feel very strongly that we have a proposal that represents the best proposal in state. … Raynham hit the jackpot.”